Arnium gigantosporum, a new ascomycete species from fresh water in Florida

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1 Arnium gigantosporum, a new ascomycete species from fresh water in Florida Huzefa A. Raja *, and Carol A. Shearer Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, 265 Morrill Hall, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois Raja, H.A. and Shearer, C.A. (2006). Arnium gigantosporum, a new ascomycete species from fresh water in Florida. 22: Arnium gigantosporum, a new ascomycete species found on submerged wood in a Florida lake, is described and illustrated. The characteristic features of this species are large, semitransparent, membranous ascomata; a dark, opaque, neck covered with pointed, tapering, long tufts of agglutinated, rigid, septate, cylindrical, brown hairs at an angle of to the peridium; broad, clavate, swollen asci with a long stipe; and large, aseptate, fusiform, dark brown ascospores, which are rough-walled in a horizontally striated pattern and surrounded by a striated gelatinous sheath. Key words: aquatic, fungal systematics, Lasiosphaeriaceae, lentic, Sordariales Introduction During a latitudinal survey of freshwater ascomycetes in North America, an unusual species was found on woody debris submerged in a Florida lake. Features such as presence of subicular tissue; black, hairy, membranous, perithecial ascomata, presence of paraphyses; clavate asci; dark ascospores with a gelatinous sheath; and saprophytic, lignicolous habit are characteristic of many Sordariales (Kirk et al., 2001). The large, semi-transparent, membranous ascomata; a dark opaque neck with agglutinated rigid brown cylindrical hairs; clavate, swollen asci; and dark brown aseptate, fusiform ascospores of this fungus agree with the characteristics of the genus Arnium Nitschke ex G. Winter (Lundqvist, 1972; Krug and Cain, 1972; Doveri, 2004) in the Lasiosphaeriaceae. This fungus fits best within the section Echria N. Lundq. (Lundqvist, 1972) and differs from other described species in having large, rough-walled, horizontally striated, fusiform ascospores with a striated gelatinous sheath. We therefore, describe this fungus as a new species of Arnium sect. Echria. * Corresponding author: H.A. Raja; raja@life.uiuc.edu 219

2 Materials and methods Collection techniques and single spore isolation methods are presented in Shearer et al. (2004). Slides were preserved using the double cover glass method of Volkmann-Kohlmeyer and Kohlmeyer (1996). Ascomata were fixed and embedded using a modification of Huhndorf s technique (1991) that is described in Raja et al. (2005). Ascomata were sectioned following the procedures of Fallah and Shearer (2001). Images were taken using an Olympus microscope with Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy equipped with a Spot RT digital camera. Slides and dried cultures are deposited in the Herbarium of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (ILL) and the Illinois Natural History Survey Mycology Herbarium (ILLS). Taxonomy Arnium gigantosporum Raja & Shearer, sp. nov. (Figs. 1-15) MycoBank number: MB Etymology: From the Greek gigas = giant and spora = seed or spore Ascomata µm, superficialia ad semiimmersa in ligno, obpyriforma, ostiolata, papillata. Rostrum µm, cylindricum ad conicum, cum pilis longis, brunneis. Peridium µm latum, membranaceum, duobus partibus instructum. Paraphyses filiformi-ventricosae. Asci µm, octospori, clavati, longe stipitati, ad apicem rotundati. Ascosporae µm, monostichae vel distichae, fusiforme, brunneae, ad libellam cum concrescente vagina extensa in aqua. Holotypus F77-1. Ascomata on wood µm, superficial to partially immersed, subiculate or not, tomentose, scattered, obpyriform, ostiolate, membranous (Figs. 1-2). Neck µm, cylindrical to conical, opaque, black, inside lined with hyaline, filiform periphyses (Fig. 3), covered with pointed, unbranched, tapering, long tufts of agglutinated, rigid, septate, cylindrical, brown hairs measuring ca µm long and 2 µm wide, occurring at an angle of to the peridium (Fig. 4). Peridium µm thick, pseudoparenchymatous in surface view, semitransparent; in longitudinal section, peridial wall 2-layered, inner layer composed of 2-3 rows of elongated, flattened, thin-walled, hyaline to brown cells; outer layer composed of 3-4 rows of brown, thin-walled, angular cells µm wide (Fig. 5). Paraphyses hyaline, filiform-ventricose, µm long, ca µm wide at the base, 3-4 µm wide at the apex, septate, abundant (Fig. 6). Asci µm (x = µm, n = 25), eight-spored, unitunicate, thin-walled, broadly clavate, with a long stipe ca µm long, swelling in water; ascus apex narrowly rounded, without an apical ring (Figs. 7-9). Ascospores µm (x = µm, n = 50), irregularly arranged, one-celled, hyaline when young (Figs , 13), ranging from golden to dark brown at maturity 220

3 Figs Arnium gigantosporum (from holotype). 1. Ascomata on wood. 2. Longitudinal section of ascomata. 3. Periphysate neck. 4. Neck with long tufts of rigid agglutinated brown hairs. 5. Longitudinal section of the peridium. 6. Paraphyses, with swollen cells at the base and tapering towards the apex Bars. Figs. 1-2 = 200 µm; 3, 4, 5 = 20 µm; 6 = 10 µm. (Figs. 12, 14, 15); fusiform, rough walled in a horizontal striated pattern (Fig. 15); surrounded by a striated gelatinous sheath, which expands in water to ca. 5-8 µm wide at the mid region, and ca µm long at the ascospore apices (Figs ); sheath staining in aqueous nigrosin and India ink, absent in older ascospores; germ pores not observed. Colonies on corn meal agar (CMA, Difco) grown at 25ºC, hyaline to dark green. Mycelium effuse, immersed in agar, composed of branched, septate, pigmented hyphae. Colonies on potato dextrose agar (PDA, Difco) grown at 25ºC, dark green in the centre and hyaline towards the periphery. Ascomata 221

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5 Figs Arnium gigantosporum (from holotype). 7. Young ascus showing a long stipe. 8-9 Mature asci. 10. Young hyaline ascospore, note arrows showing gelatinous sheath expanded in water. 11 and 13. Ascospore showing striated sheath at the apex. 12. Ascospores showing sheath stained in India ink. 14. Ascospores with a striated gelatinous sheath stained with aqueous nigrosin; arrows indicate striations. 15. Mature ascospore showing a horizontal striated pattern on the ascospore wall. Bars. Figs = 20 µm. formed at the centre of colonies after 2-3 weeks on CMA and PDA, superficial to partially immersed in the agar. As the ascomata mature, the ascospores are shot out forcefully from the neck of the ascomata and adhere to the lid of the culture plate where they germinate. Some ascospores that are shot out to the periphery of the agar plate germinate and give rise to new ascomata within 2-3 weeks. Anamorph: not seen. Habitat: lentic. Known distribution: Florida. Material examined: USA, Ocala National Forest, Lake Kerr, on submerged, decorticated wood, 29 21'19''N, 81 48'45''E, UTM Zone 17, mE, mN, water temperature 21 C, ph 7, 3 March, 2005, Huzefa A. Raja, Andrew N. Miller, and J.L. Crane, F77-1. (ILL, slide made from a specimen on submerged, decorticated wood, F77-1. holotype). Discussion Currently, 34 species are included in the genus Arnium (Doveri, 2004). Morphological features that appear to distinguish A. gigantosporum from other taxa in the genus are the large size of the ascospores, and an ascospore wall roughening in a horizontal striated pattern (Figs ). Arnium gigantosporum is placed within the sect. Echria, which contains four species (Lundqvist, 1974; Jeng and Krug, 1977). Arnium gigantosporum is most similar to A. macrotheca (H. Crouan & P. Crouan) N. Lundq., the type species of the sect. Echria, in having ascospores with a striated gelatinous sheath (Figs ), long-stipitate, clavate asci (Fig. 7) and presence of rigid agglutinated, brown, cylindrical hairs on an opaque, black neck (Figs. 2, 4). Arnium gigantosporum, however, differs from A. macrotheca in the size and morphology of ascospores and texture of the ascospore wall. Most species in the genus Arnium grow on various kinds of herbivore dung, while a few species are herbicolous (Lundqvist, 1972). Other than A. gigantosporum only two species, A. olerum (Fr. : Fr.) N. Lundq. & J.C. Krug and A. tomentosum (Speg.) N. Lundq. & J.C. Krug, have been reported from a lignicolous substrate (Lundqvist, 1972; Lorenzo and Havrylenko, 2001). Arnium gigantosporum is the second species to be reported from an aquatic habitat. Only one other Arnium species, A. apiculatum (Griffiths) N. Lundq., 223

6 has been collected from an aquatic habitat (Shearer et al., 1980). Arnium gigantosporum differs from A. apiculatum in ascus and ascospore size and morphology. It is plausible that the piece of wood from which A. gigantosporum was isolated could have been impregnated with herbivore dung before it got washed into the lake. Jeng and Krug (1977) have reported a number of Arnium spp. on herbivore dung collected from close proximities to water bodies, such as lakes and streams where many herbivores come to graze. It is also likely that the enzymes that Arnium spp. use to decompose ligno-cellulose substrates such as those in herbivore dung allowed it to colonize wood in water. At this time it is not clear if A. gigantosporum is an aquatic species; additional collections of this fungus will help understand the true habitat of this remarkable ascomycete. Acknowledgements We would like to thank Andrew N. Miller and J.L. Crane for assistance with collecting. Appreciation is expressed to Ranger Marr at the Ocala National Forest for permission to collect within the forest. Financial support of this study by the National Science Foundation (NSF Grant No. DEB ) is gratefully acknowledged. References Doveri, F. (2004). Fungi Fimicoli Italici: A Guide to the Recognition of Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes Living on Faecal Material. Associazione Micologica Bresadola, Trento, Italy. Fallah, P.M. and Shearer, C.A. (2001). Freshwater ascomycetes: new or noteworthy species from north temperate lakes in Wisconsin. Mycologia 93: Huhndorf, S.M. (1991). A method of sectioning ascomycete herbarium specimens for light microscopy. Mycologia 83: Jeng, R.S. and Krug, J.C. (1977). New records and new species of Arnium. Canadian Journal of Botany 55: Kirk, P.M., Canon, P.F., David J.C. and Stalpers J.A. (2001). Ainsworth & Bisby s Dictionary of the Fungi. 9th edn. CABI Bioscience, UK. Krug, J.C and Cain R.F. (1972). Additions to the genus Arnium. Canadian Journal of Botany 50: Lorenzo, L.E. and Havrylenko, M. (2001). The genera Arnium and Podospora from Argentina. Mycologia 93: Lundqvist, N. (1972). Nordic Sordariaceae s. lat. Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses 20: Lundqvist, N. (1974). Studia fungorum fimi II. New records of Arnium, and a new species, A. bellum. Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift 68: Raja, H.A., Ferrer A. and Shearer, C.A. (2005). Aliquandostipite crystallinus, a new ascomycete species from submerged wood in freshwater habitats. Mycotaxon 91: Shearer, C.A., Hawksworth, D.L. and Von Bodman, S. (1980). Arnium apiculatum (Sordariaceae S. Lat.) rediscovered. Mycotaxon 11:

7 Shearer, C.A., Langsam D.M. and Longcore J.E. (2004). Fungi in Freshwater Habitats. In: Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Fungi (eds. G.M. Mueller, G.F. Bills and M.S. Foster). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C: Volkmann-Kohlmeyer, B. and Kohlmeyer, J. (1996). How to prepare truly permanent microscopic slides. Mycologist 10: (Received 5 December 2005; accepted 10 April 2006) 225